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151 pilots, crew members tested positive for alcohol from Jan to Oct (India)

As many as 151 pilots and crew members tested positive for alcohol during pre-flight medical examination in the first ten months this year and action has been taken against them, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said on Thursday.

A total of 38 pilots and 113 cabin crew have tested positive for alcohol during pre-flight medical examination for consumption of alcohol from January 1 to October 31 this year, he said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Acting against such individuals, aviation regulator DGCA suspended privileges of license of pilots as well as privileges of authorisation of cabin crew.

"Further, the concerned airlines in compliance with DGCA's order, have grounded all these pilots and cabin crew," Raju said.

Aircraft Rules prohibits consumption of intoxicating and psychoactive substances by persons acting as, or carried in aircraft for the purpose of acting as pilot, commander, navigator, engineer, cabin crew or the other operating member of the crew.

In a separate written reply, Raju said 208 irregularities by pilots of various airlines have been reported to DGCA during 2015 and this year.

"A total of 15 irregularities by airlines have been reported to DGCA during last year and the current year 2016...

In all the cases, relevant enforcement action has been taken against the pilots and the airlines concerned," he noted.

To a query, the minister said that as per available records, no recent case has been reported to DGCA for taxiing of aircraft by engineer under the influence of alcohol.

Without providing specific details, he said that during a recent surveillance carried out by the regulator, it was found that one of the scheduled airlines was not strictly adhering to the requirements regarding breath analyser check. - PTI